Battling Covid The Institutional Way

The Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown have disrupted our lives and severely affected the higher education system. Continuing with routine academic and research activities while ensuring the educational fraternity remains safe and healthy has been the biggest challenge. To ensure uninterrupted teaching and learning at home and to minimise academic losses, the UGC advised all the universities to shift to the online mode of teaching and learning.

- Prof. D.P. Singh

There has been an institutional effort to combat Covid-19 through knowledge, technology, and innovation. Institutions have tried to leverage the potential of technology, but there are challenges, and we are yet to fully integrate online teaching and learning in mainstream higher education. There are also limitations with regard to access for socioeconomically disadvantaged students, internet supply, and technical know-how of the instructional design, particularly in rural/ tribal areas. We are fortunate that the present generation of learners are quick to adapt to technology once they have access to it. This is a manifestation of the story of India’s digital growth.

The higher education system has tried to adapt to the crisis. Technology, considered yesterday’s disruptor, has become today’s savior. Right now, various video conferencing apps are providing our higher education institutions a lifeline. But we need to have a robust and multi-faceted response plan involving collective efforts at the faculty, student, and institutional level along with the government and regulatory bodies like the UGC. While the government and regulatory bodies have a role to play at the policy level, the institutions, the students and the faculty must be at the forefront in implementation.

The closure of educational institutions has three different aspects to it— health and safety, the teaching-learning process, and psychological issues. The top priority is to keep our students safe and healthy. Information-sharing and health awareness are vital to keeping students and academic staff safe from infection. While keeping them safe, there is also an urgent need to continue their learning in different ways.